The arduously long India-England series that will be underway in a few days’ time has importance in Indian cricket history. Very rarely has a Test series featured two debut Test venues.
The BCCI is sticking to its promise of bringing cricket to the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities and its endeavours can be lauded considering how much potential such venues have. The first and second Tests between the two teams will be played at Rajkot (Saurashtra) and Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), before the two teams head to three very popular, well-noted venues with a lot of history of their own – Mohali, Mumbai and Chennai.
Rajkot
Home-ground to two members who are a certainty in the starting XI for India – Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja – Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot isn’t new to international cricket. The ground has hosted three matches, two ODIs, in 2013 and 2015 and a T20I. England played the first ODI at Rajkot which should give them a sense of familiarity with the place.
They won the match by 9 runs after posting 325 and later pulling victory off from the jaws of defeat. In 2015, India lost to South Africa in the second ODI played at Rajkot (third of that series). India failed to chase down 270, despite being 193-2 at one stage, Morkel getting a 4-wicket haul on a good, reasonably bouncy surface. India tasted victory at Rajkot in the lone T20I against Australia when they chased down 201 thanks to Yuvraj Singh’s unbeaten blitzkrieg.
However, the pitch will definitely not be as flat as it was for each of these games and is sure to assist turn as do most tracks in India. Rajkot is home to Gujarat Lions too, a team that did really well in IPL 2016, ensuring that the popularity of cricket is very high in these parts of the country.
Visakhapatnam
The YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium is one of the newest stadiums in the country and will be baptised for Test cricket soon. 7 ODIs have been hosted by this stadium so far (one against West Indies was cancelled). The ground has also hosted 2 T20Is of which the first one was abandoned. The most recent fixture in this picturesque venue was the 5th ODI against New Zealand in the recently concluded ODI series.
India managed to score 269 on a tricky, two-paced batting track and won by a whopping 190 runs after New Zealand were wrapped up for just 79. Amit Mishra picked up a 5-wicket haul. Of the 7 concluded games, India has managed to win the lone T20I against Sri Lanka and the 5 ODIs, losing one to West Indies in 2013.
The high scoring ground boasts of good bounce and the hard surface generally yields tons of runs as can be witnessed from the scores where, barring New Zealand’s most recent debacle, the lowest score is 259/7, the highest being India’s 356/9 against Pakistan in the inaugural game in 2005.
Mohali
The Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Chandigarh will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Indians for being the venue of India’s famous Semi-Final victory over Pakistan during its victorious 2011 World Cup campaign.
India has won 10 and lost 4 ODIs at this famous stadium, where it has also won both its T20Is. However, the interesting stat is the Test record at this stadium. So far, India has played 12 Tests at this stadium. 5 have been drawn. India lost the inaugural Test at this stadium against West Indies way back in 1994 by a whopping 243 runs.
However, India hasn’t lost at Mohali since then. Of the 6 wins, three have come against Australia and 2 against England. The most recent win was against South Africa in the first Test of the Freedom Trophy that India won by 108 runs on an extremely spin-friendly track.
That was a surprise considering Mohali has traditionally been a pacer-friendly track with bounce, swing and seam movement available for the fast bowlers. However, the latest trend is likely to continue given India will play to its strengths and wouldn’t want to dish out a green track to aid the English bowlers. The ground has witnessed 4 scores in excess of 500, 3 from India, and 10 more scores in excess of 400. India were also dubiously dismissed for just 83 at the same ground in 1999, the lowest completed total at the venue.
Of the present set of players, Murali Vijay has the most runs at the ground, 301 in 2 outings.
Mumbai
India’s most popular and famous cricketing venue, the Wankhede Stadium has been hosting Test matches since 1975, when West Indies won the inaugural game by 201 runs. England will take a lot of heart from the fact that they have won their last two Tests here. In 2012, they defeated India by 10 wickets to equal the series, thanks to 122 and 186 from Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen respectively and two five-wicket hauls for Monty Panesar.
They won in 2006 prior to that by 212 runs when Andrew Flintoff, the skipper, picked up the Man of the Match and Man of the Series as England returned with honours even. Overall, India is 10-7 at Mumbai, not really the best of records for the home team.
The ground though will forever be special for Indians considering, it is the venue where the team won the 2011 World Cup Final against Sri Lanka. Known to assist swing because of the proximity to the sea, the humid ground with its red soil also helps spinners with some bounce and turn.
The last time a Test was played here was in 2013 when India hammered West Indies by an innings and 126 runs in what was Sachin Tendulkar’s 200th and final Test match. The stadium has also hosted 20 ODIs featuring India of which the home team has won 10.
Chennai
The venue of the 5th Test between India and England, the MA Chidambaram Stadium, probably boasts of the most knowledgeable cricket crowd in India. The venue hasn’t hosted any Tests in 3 years surprisingly, and it would be a welcome return to one of the game’s power-centres in India. The long history of the stadium dates back to 1934 when England defeated India in the inaugural game.
However, the ground, one of Sachin Tendulkar’s luckiest and most hallowed grounds, has been India’s bastion for a while now.
The last defeat at Chennai came in 1999, in ‘that heart-breaking match’ when Sachin battling back pain almost took India to an unlikely victory, only for the team to be thwarted by Pakistan which eventually won by 12 runs. Since then, India has won 4 and drawn three Tests. Overall, India has a 13-6 record at the stadium. The hallowed ground also boasts of hosting one of only two tied Tests in Test match cricket history. The famous tied Test witnessed India almost making it to an improbable target of 348, falling a run short.
The ground remodelled in recent times to allow more breeze into the stadium is the home ground for Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s most successful bowler over the last couple of years. Ashwin will fondly remember his 7-wicket haul in the last Test played here, against Australia. Virat Kohli had scored a century in partnership with Dhoni, who scored a double century in the same game.
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